Public Invited to Attend Community Design Workshop

How
would you design your city’s streets? This is the question Beach Cities
Health District (BCHD) will pose to residents at its interactive
Community Design Workshop on December 4 at 6:00 p.m.

The
event, presented in partnership with the cities of Hermosa Beach,
Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach, will be led by two of the nation's
leaders on built environment. Blue Zones Director of Inspiration and
Innovation Dan Burden, one of
TIME's six most important civic innovators in the world, will
lead the workshop, and Paul Zykofsky, associate director of the Local
Government Commission Team, will co-facilitate.

The
Community Design Workshop will include a presentation from Burden on
strategies to create a healthy, vibrant and connected community.
Following the presentation, participants will break into smaller groups
where each person will be assigned a community role (cyclist, commuter,
public transit rider etc.). Together, they will design a city
street/neighborhood that balances the needs of multiple users.

In
addition to the workshop, Burden is slated to meet with elected
officials, city staff and other stakeholders to discuss best practices
for active transportation. He will also review BCHD’s conceptual plans
for its proposed Healthy Living Campus project.

“Healthy
street design creates attractive neighborhoods, meeting the community’s
basic needs for public safety, economic development and land-use
planning,” said Burden, who is director of inspiration and innovation
at Blue Zones and was the recipient of a lifetime achievement award issued by
New Partners for Smart Growth and Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle
Professionals. “Small changes, such as adding benches, lighting and
ensuring streets support active living, advance
opportunities for all people through walkable streets, livable cities
and better built environments.”

Burden
has deep ties to the Beach Cities through Blue Zones Project, a
community health initiative that the Cities of Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach
and Redondo Beach began jointly implementing in 2010. Additionally,
he authored the Beach Cities Livability Plan, a proposal the three
cities adopted as a blueprint for creating a more active community.

“A
large part of Blue Zones Project is making environmental changes that
nudge people in the direction of better health,” said Lauren Nakano,
Beach Cities Health District’s director of the Blue Zones Project.
“We’re working with the three cities to create an environment that
better supports the well-being of our residents by improving safety and
providing opportunities for community engagement.”

Research
shows that creating complete streets, roadways that are designed to
enable safe access for all modes of transportation, is beneficial for
community health. According to Smart Growth America, as more
complete streets elements are added to cities, pedestrian-vehicle
crashes decrease.

There is no cost to attend the Community Design Workshop; however, advance registration is recommended. Participants can register at bchd.org/streetsforall; attendees will also be encouraged to participate
in upcoming public meetings to provide input on Aviation Boulevard and other city projects.